Released on: 01 September 2014
In response to the Liberal Democrat's announcement that fathers should get six weeks paternity leave, Elizabeth Duff, Senior Policy Adviser, NCT, says:
“It’s good to see the Liberal Democrats recognising the importance of paternity leave but it needs to be paid in line with the minimum wage so more dads actually use it. Whether it is six weeks or two weeks, unless paternity pay is better, very few dads can afford to take leave.
“It’s low income families that bear the brunt of this lack of financial support. Government figures show that better paid fathers are 50% more likely to take paternity leave than those on low pay.”